Simply A Corporate Affair
by Cathy Barton
Summary: (AU) Can Kent deal with Hector (his boss), Raven (the angry janitor), Matthew and Guy (his best friends), Jaffar (the street thug), and most of all, his new secretary that he might just be getting feelings for? (KentxSain) Chapter 2 up!
1. In which Kent bumps into Sain

**Notes & Summary: **I'm really not sure where this whole idea came from, but I love it nonetheless. I think it's inspired a little bit by the manga, "Fake." Okay, why don't I dish out a little summary here? First off, Kent is vice president for a company in which Hector is boss of. Lyn was Kent's former secretary, but after a love affair between the two grew sour, Lyn quit and Kent was left by himself; this story takes place directly after that. Unfortunately, Wil, the "copy-guy" (stands around in the copy room) finds one before Kent can, and this secretary is the complete opposite of what Kent would have chosen. Eliwood is the other vice president, and he was part of the reason things went wrong between Kent and Lyn. When Kent's new secretary arrives, he is everything that Kent didn't expect…and yet, there is something so endearing about him and Kent finds himself somewhat interested.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Kent, Lyn, or any of the Fire Emblem characters (or Downy, Oxy Clean, Maxwell House Coffee, Starbucks, and FAKE for that matter).  I don't own the rights to the game, but I do own a copy of it and did write this story, which _is _mine, so don't even think about stealing it.  Someone copied my work before, and let me tell you, the end result was not pretty. I hate plagiarism, so please, let's not have any of that happening around this section or anywhere for that matter. Sorry, I felt like ranting…;;

**Warnings: **What is there to say? Um, **SHOUNEN AI **and **YAOI** warnings, yup. Can't say I didn't warn you. Of course, there will be a lot of **het **pairings thrown into here, too, so be on the lookout for those! Um, what else? Strong language? Whatever, like you guys _really_ care about any of that.

This will be a bit more mature than "Can't Complain," the rating may be moved up. I will include warnings for "those" chapters, so don't worry.

Alright, so, that being said, I give you:

**---Simply a Corporate Affair ---**

"Beep, beep, beep, beep, beep-"

The alarm clock buzzed in his ears, reminding him that now, at 5:45, he was supposed to be getting up. Of course, being a very tired businessman, he decided to ignore its annoying call for five minutes as he tried to fall back asleep. He pulled the Downy-scented cotton sheets over his head with hopes of dulling the sound of the alarm, but unfortunately for him, it did nothing. Finally, the fiery-haired man reached an arm out and felt around for the alarm clock, his hand fumbling around on it until he finally found the "off" button.

The young man crept out of bed with a tired yawn, making his way towards the door and shuffling down the small hallway that led to his kitchen. He rubbed his eyes as he grabbed a mug and poured himself a hot cup of coffee that his roommate had made for him earlier that morning.

His roommate, Guy, most likely had gone running like he did almost every morning to keep in shape. Normally, Guy would take him along, but the past couple days had been especially rough for him, so Guy thought it best for him to get extra rest to keep his mind off of what had happened.

He rubbed his eyes and took a seat on their brown leather couch, propping his legs up on the nearest pillow. Raising the steaming cup of coffee to his lips, he savored the rich smell before he took a small sip.

The past week had been an emotional roller coaster for him. One day he's engaged and the next, his fiancée quits her job and runs off to God knows where, leaving him behind to sink into a deep depression. Now _there's _an example of devotion.

As he drank his coffee, his mind drifted off to memories of the times he had spent with her, like the day they kissed for the first time, the time she threw him a surprise party when he got promoted, the day where she left him…

She packed all of her things in a box and slammed the door behind her, long green hair swishing behind her as she walked away from him.

"Lyn!" He called out her name but she couldn't hear him, she was already gone, and was never coming back again.

Sure, she was his secretary, but to him, she was much more. His best friend, his lover…

"Lyn, why? I love you! You can't leave me now, after all we've been through! Lyn, I-"

"Kent, I'm so sorry…"

Kent felt the coffee cup slipping from his hands and he watched it fall to the floor, shattering into pieces, the brown liquid spilling everywhere and staining the apartment's carpet. Tears welled in his eyes; he felt helpless, useless, and lonely, none of which he felt when he was with Lyn. What did he do that made her want to leave? Why was his life falling apart when everything had been going so well only a week ago?

"Kent? Are you out there?"

A voice sounded from the hallway, where Guy's room was located. Dirty-blonde hair popped out from around the corner, a face that Kent recognized immediately. Matthew was dressed only in a pair of loose-fitting plaid pajama pants and his hair was a mess.

Matthew worked with Kent and Guy, so they both knew him fairly well, especially Guy. The two seemed to be hanging around each other more and more everyday.

Matthew made his way over to Kent, an expression full of worry overcoming his features as he noticed the broken coffee mug and the very large stain left by the sudden mishap.

"What happened, Kent?" Kent looked at his feet, his mind a blur as he tried to come up with something to say. "Are you still upset about Lyn leaving?"

Kent felt a tear trickle down his pale cheek as he brought his arms around his legs and his head down on his knees.

"Kent, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have-"

Kent looked up as Matthew walked over and placed his hand on Kent's back, trying to comfort him best as he could.

"No, it's okay. I'm sure the whole company knows by now…"

Kent cast his eyes downward as Matthew sat down next to him on the couch.

"Kent, you know you have to go back to work today. You can't just skip out like you did yesterday and the day before; the company needs you; you _are _vice president after all," Matthew urged him, placing his hand on his shoulder again.

Kent looked up at him as he spoke, wiping the solitary tear off of his cheek and forgetting about Lyn and all of the pain she put him through when she left. Matthew looked tired, Kent noted as he watched him closely.

"Matthew, forgive me if this sounds rude, but why are you here?" Kent asked, slightly curious, especially because of what he was wearing (or not wearing, for that matter) and since he had come out of _Guy's _room.

Matthew grinned. "Guy invited me over."

Were Matthew and Guy…_involved_? Kent wondered, the thought slightly humoring him.

"Really? He _invited _you…okay. Sure."

Matthew's eyes bugged out for a second as he processed what Kent had said in his head, a slight blush creeping over his features. "No, Kent, I think you've misunderstood. Guy and I are simply close friends, and nothing more! You…_believe _me, right?"

What if they really _were_ together? Would that really be such a bad thing? Kent pondered over the thought for a second before smirking briefly and responding.

"Right."

"I don't think you're really taking me seriously," Matthew complained, his bright eyes shining under the dim lighting. Matthew took a short pause before he looked at the remains of the coffee cup and stared back at Kent. "You know, we had better clean this up before Guy gets back. If he sees this on his rug, believe me, he will not be happy."

Kent shot Matthew a look. "You think _I _wouldn't know? I've lived with the guy for a couple years now!" His eyes narrowed when he thought about what he had just exclaimed. "No pun intended, or anything."

Matthew chuckled as he stood up and went to go fetch a roll of paper towels and some Oxy Clean. It was time to put that cheap product Guy had bought from an infomercial to good use.

Matthew carried it over to where Kent was sitting on the floor by the stain and placed it down on the floor next to him. Matthew gestured to the tub of Oxy Clean. "Does this stuff actually work?"

Kent sighed. Guy really needed to stop watching those infomercials; he always bought the most useless things that just cluttered up their small apartment. The sad thing was, if Lyn hadn't left him, then Kent would be moving into a nice house in a week or two after they would have gotten married, and he wouldn't have to deal with Guy and his infomercial obsession any longer. A part of Kent told him that he would miss that side of Guy. Maybe it really was better that Lyn left…

Kent simply shrugged as an answer to Matthew's question and snatched up a few rectangles of paper towel, beginning to carefully remove the broken mug and place it in the nearby garbage can.

"I really hope Guy doesn't notice that his favorite mug is gone," said Matthew, glancing at the door and back at the garbage in a paranoid sort of way. Guy could come home any second…

Kent threw Matthew a curious glance. "How would _you_ know that the mug I broke is his favorite?"

"You forget, Kent, I know everythingthere is to know about Guy."

There was an awkward silence as the two both thought hard about what they were actually discussing.

"So you're telling me you know his pant size, too?" Kent retorted with a wicked smile on his face, trying desperately to make Matthew admit to his secret relationship, if there really was one.

A harsh glare was aimed in Kent's direction as he put the last of the broken mug in the garbage and began to cautiously blot the brown stain that his coffee had left.

Matthew looked Kent in the eyes. "I was worried for a moment there, Kent. I almost thought you were going to ask 'boxers or briefs.' I seemed to be forgetting that you're not all that dirty minded."

"So which is it?" Kent questioned Matthew as he unscrewed the top of the Oxy Clean container.

"Which is what?" Matthew, although usually completely on top of things, now looked utterly confused.

"Boxers, or _briefs?_"

Matthew's face turned as red as Kent's hair, and that was really saying something. Matthew _never_ blushed, or at least Kent had never seen him do so, except for those times earlier today. Needless to say, Kent was rather proud of himself for unnerving his friend with a simple question.

"I'm not going to answer that, Kent," Matthew finally replied after thinking of a suitable response for a number of seconds.

"I'll take that to mean that you actually know…"

"Oh, quit it Kent! What's with you today? One minute you're crying and the next you're picking on me. This is so _unlike _you!" Matthew noted as he studied Kent's actions on the apartment's rug. "Here, let me try."

Kent handed Matthew the Oxy Clean drenched paper towel and he began to scrub it fiercely into the rug. "You know, I think I might know what brought this on."

One of Kent's crimson brows was raised high. "Oh really?" Kent asked unenthusiastically, still examining the stubborn stain.

Matthew ceased his mad scrubbing actions for a brief moment to flash Kent one of his patented smirks. "I think you're getting interested…in _male_ to _male_ relationships."

This time it was Kent's turn to blush. "I don't know what you're talking about! Matthew, for God's sake I was just with a woman a few days ago!"

Matthew began to battle against the coffee stain once again as he continued his onslaught of questions towards Kent. "Was Lyndis really that bad of a lover that you decided to become gay after you break up?"

There was no reply as Matthew angrily pounded the paper towel into the floor. "Out damn spot!"

Kent rolled his eyes. "Somehow I don't think Shakespeare is going to help you here, Matthew."

Matthew turned back to look at Kent, his messy blond hair falling over one eye. "Do you _want _me to help you get this out?"

Silence.

"That's what I thought…damn you, Maxwell House!"

"Hey Matthew, did you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

"That 'ding' sound that the elevator makes when someone comes on our floor."

"…Shit."

Matthew and Kent shared a look of pure agony before they both began to scrub for their dear lives in the remaining seconds before the doors of the elevator opened and the 'ding' sounded once again.

"Okay, it's fine. Just cover what's remaining with the leg of this table and we'll be okay." Kent explained, each word rushed as they threw away the paper towels and stuffed them over the broken mug. They then raced over to the table, moved it a bit so that it covered the stain perfectly, and slammed the Oxy Clean back where it had been resting on the counter a couple minutes ago.

They waited in anticipation, but nothing happened. However, the door to the apartment across the hall was heard opening, and both of them were released of their tension and flopped down on the couch.

Breathing heavily Matthew said, "Close call," and rested his eyes.

"You know, Matthew, I'm not gay." Kent stated, trying to persuade him.

Matthew opened one eye and cocked his head to the side. "Pardon?"

"I'm bi." Kent added. At that moment, Matthew's eyes widened and he stared at Kent in disbelief.

"No way! So you're saying that you would jump me, right here, right now, if you felt the need?" Matthew inquired, his mouth still gaping wide open.

"Matthew, I was joking, I'm not bi. I'm completely-"

"Gay." Matthew finished the sentence for him, lips curling into a smirk. "I knew it!"

Kent sighed, his hand making its way into his bright orange hair. "I was _going _to say 'straight' until you interrupted me."

"I wasn't interrupting you, Kent, but merely stating the truth!" Matthew huffed, looking quite proud of himself and the 'secret' he had found out about his friend. "I always knew you were different from all the other boys at school."

Kent got out of his seat on the couch and climbed over Matthew, one hand on the armrest of the couch, emphasizing each word as he spoke. "I. Am. _Not._ Gay."

At that exact moment, a key turned in the lock, and Guy walked in on one of the worst looking scenes possible. His face immediately turned ten shades redder as he eyed his two friends with a very shocked expression on his face.

Kent had Matthew pinned against the couch, right leg between Matthew's, and Matthew's shirt was nowhere to be seen. The brown leather squeaked underneath them as they tried to rearrange themselves.

"Matthew, I didn't know you were still…here." Guy said, that same look of horror washing over his face.

Matthew pushed Kent off of him and he fell to the floor, dangerously close to hitting his head on the table.

"Hey, Guy, it's really not what it looks like," Matthew shouted, following Guy as he ran towards the hall.

"How could it _not _be?" Guy screamed, his long green braid swishing back and forth behind him as he fled from the room, Matthew following close behind.

Kent stared shamefully at his feet. "Uh, guys?" It was useless for him to call after them, because they were too absorbed in their own conversation to even see him there by the couch.

"We need to talk, Guy, you see, I was…"

Their conversation sounded like a bunch of mumbles from where Kent was sitting, so he stopped trying to listen in on it and just gave up, waiting for his two friends to make their way back into the room.

"Ooooohhhhh Matthew!"

Kent's eyes widened. That most certainly did _not_ sound like normal "talk."

"Guy, no, not there, ah!"

"…" Kent decided that there were no words. Yes, Matthew and Guy were definitely more than friends. Much more. There was no doubt about it.

A few moments later, Guy and Matthew walked back into the room, faces slightly flushed and both of them looking somewhat disheveled.

Guy grinned sheepishly. "Well, we made out-UP! We made UP! Up, yes we definitely MADE _UP_!"

Kent laughed. "You're telling me…"

"I'm glad that we could-" Matthew pulled down his shirt that, a second ago, was showing a little bit _too _much skin. "-Work things out, Guy."

A small wink was shared between the two that Kent didn't seem to catch.

Changing the topic, Guy suddenly asked, "So, Kent, how was your coffee? You know, I woke up extra early to make that for you."

Kent put on a fake smile. "I…appreciate it, Guy. That coffee was…was…uh, it was delicious!"

Guy smiled cheerfully as he made his way over to the cabinet where they kept their cups. He opened the door and started looking around. Both Matthew and Kent knew exactly what he was looking for, and they also knew that he wasn't going to find it; at least, not in _there_.

"That's funny," Guy said. "I can't seem to find my favorite mug. Kent, do you know where it is?"

Kent and Matthew shared a look of panic. "Hey, maybe it's in the dishwasher, Guy." Matthew suggested, shuffling over to the dishwasher and blocking the way. "But it's washing right now, so you better not open it."

"Okay, I guess I'll just have to use another one for today."

Matthew looked relieved and his cover up was a good one, but only for that day. Kent was scared of what would happen the next day. Maybe somebody at work could pick him up a new one…

"Matthew, I think you ought to get ready. Works starts soon, so you should too, Kent. Go take turns taking a shower; that is, unless you want to take one together." Guy teased as he poured himself a cup of the same coffee that had left its mark on their rug.

"Very funny, Guy," Matthew snorted as he went into Guy's room to find his shirt. Kent, sighing heavily, made his way into the bathroom and locked the door behind him. He could tell that it was going to be a long day.

Kent gripped his suitcase more tightly as the elevator made its quick descent to the main lobby, letting him off as the doors automatically closed behind him. Kent was greeted with the sight of the shining bald head that belonged to the building's overly friendly doorman, Wallace. He offered Kent one of his hearty smiles and forcefully clapped him on the back.

Kent choked out a small "oof" as he was pushed a few meters across the room from the impact. Did Wallace never realize how hard he was actually hitting him?

"Kenty boy! How's it goin'? Great morning, isn't it? The streets of New York City are busy already! Ahahaha!" Wallace began to trail off onto his morning ramble, which was an everyday ritual for him. Kent could only nod dumbly in agreement, only slightly listening to what the fool was actually saying.

"Ahahaha don't you think it's great? Oh, these streets are so easy to get lost in! You never know which way to turn, do you? Ahaha…"

"Er, yes." Kent replied, starting to walk towards the door, quickening his pace with each step.

"Oh, let me get that for you, sir!" Wallace exclaimed, eagerly rushing towards the door and holding it open. "Say, where are your friends, Matthew and Guy? Usually they're with you when you go to work."

"I was ready earlier, so they just told me to go ahead." Kent answered, knowing that they probably wanted him to head out without them for some _other_ reasons, as well.

"Well, in that case, have a good day at work, boy!" Wallace said loudly as Kent left the building, door closing softly behind him. Every morning Kent heard the same thing from Wallace, and every morning, he was never happier when he made it out of the apartment building.

Whistling a tune from some musical as he walked, Kent briskly followed his usually route to the subway, the morning breeze playing through his hair. Wallace had been right; it _was _a nice morning, at least as nice as it could be in the city. The streets were full of cars, taxis beeped obnoxiously, and all was right with the world. Well, everything except the fact that a random street thug was blocking his way to the stairs leading down into the subway.

"Excuse me, could you please move? I really need to get to work," Kent asked kindly as he tried to make his way by.

"…" The thug looked him up and down, scanning him for a wallet or any money. His appearance was quite scary; this particular street thug had tall, spiky red hair and a grayish-brown cape-like thing wrapped around his neck. If Kent was seeing things correctly, it also looked like he was holding a dagger at his side.

Kent began to inch away from him and fumbled around in his wallet for ten dollars. He held it out for the thug, and he quickly snatched it up. Instead of putting it in his pocket like Kent thought he would, the thug tore it up into shreds.

"I don't need your charity, _businessman,_" he said with a sneer as he turned around and was greeted by the cheers of his friends.

"Nice going, Jaffar!"

"He didn't look like he was going to pee his pants, though. Not like that other guy we saw earlier! Hahahaha!"

Jaffar…what an unusual name, Kent thought to himself as he began to rush down the stairs, trying to avoid another encounter with the scary guy. Without noticing where he was going, Kent ran down the steps quickly, eventually finding himself landed on his butt in the middle of the stairwell, face to face with an unfamiliar man.

This guy looked like he was about his age, and he had greenish-brown hair that fell close to his eyes, a pair of chocolate brown eyes, and a bouquet of flowers and a briefcase in his hands. During their first surprise meeting, the man's briefcase had hit the wall and burst open, papers flying everywhere.

"Oh no! Here, let me help you with those," Kent offered as he crouched down on his knees and began to place the papers back inside the other man's briefcase.

The man stared into Kent's two beautiful amber eyes, admiring them for a moment before he broke his gaze. "You have beautiful eyes; do you, by any chance, have a sister?"

Kent stopped rearranging the papers and looked up at the man. "What did you just say?" He asked, hardly believing his ears.

"Oh, it was nothing important. I appreciate your help, um-"

Kent stretched out his hand. "It's Kent."

The other man accepted it and gave it a light shake. "I'm Sain, and I'm about to miss my ride. Are you taking the 7:15 subway?" He inquired as he shoved the last paper inside his briefcase and stood up with Kent.

"Yes, actually. If we hurry, we'll be able to make it." Kent replied, and the two businessmen jogged quickly towards the subway, making it just as the last call sounded. The doors slid shut behind them as the stepped up inside, looking around for any empty seats. Spotting two in the back, they pushed their way through the aisles and eventually sat down in the two seats that faced each other. A couple of pretty women were sitting in the section across from them, and Kent could tell that his companion was scanning them up and down.

"So Kent, do you live in the city, or are you commuting from some far away place?" Sain asked, leaning his elbow on his knee.

"I live nearby, so every-" There was a sudden violent shake in their ride as Kent began to speak, and unfortunately, this sudden lunge resulted in a very awkward first kiss between the two of them.

Once everything stopped shaking about, the two very startled men pulled apart quickly, averting their eyes from one another.

"I'm sorry, Sain, I didn't mean to-"

"Really Kent, I understand. It wasn't your fault I leaned forward to keep steady in my seat and you, well, you know, flew in my direction; I wasn't quite sure what to do." Sain explained, grinning somewhat as he talked abnormally quickly.

Kent felt the blush fade from his cheeks. Why had that felt so…oh, who was he kidding? He hadn't felt anything. No, nothing at all.

One of the women from across the way walked by Sain, and he took the opportunity to physically get a _feel _for her. She quickly turned around and slapped him hard as her friend gave Sain a look of disgust.

What a scoundrel…Kent thought to himself. It was a good thing there were only two stops left.

"You know, most women don't appreciate that. At least wait until the second date, Sain. It's not exactly the perfect way to start a relationship." Kent advised him, amused by his earlier antics. Some men just had no self-restraint.

"Well, I wouldn't think a sloppy kiss would be a good start to a friendship, would you?" Sain shot back, smirking as he caught Kent's embarrassed expression. "Well, truthfully, it wasn't all that sloppy. You're a good kisser."

People started to turn around and stare at the two of them, giving them disapproving glances every now and then. Kent scratched the back of his neck nervously. "Sain, stop joking around."

Sain rested his feet up on the space next to Kent. "Who says I was joking?"

Kent gulped. This guy was really starting to give him the creeps. "Sain, you're-"

"I'm joking. _Again_. Man, you're awfully gullible, aren't you, Kent?" Sain said with a chuckle, his eyes pouring into Kent's.

He simply stared back, not saying anything or moving until the train came to its first stop. There was only one more stop to go.

Kent tried to change the subject. "So, Sain, who are the flowers for?"

"Oh, well I'm starting my new jo-"

Kent lost track of what Sain was saying as he noticed a flash of green out of the corner of his eye. A long green ponytail, beautiful curvy hips, lustrous pink lips; it could be none other than her!

Kent immediately stood up from his seat and ran down the aisle after her. "Lyn! Wait! It's me, Kent!"

Sain tried to shout after the determined businessman, but he didn't hear him. Slightly disappointed and somewhat lonely and bored, Sain glanced down at Kent's suitcase. "You forgot…your suitcase, Kent." He mumbled to himself as the train started to move again, his new friend no longer near him.

Racing through the bustling streets of New York City, Kent followed the woman all the way to a corner, and he looked back and forth. His breath was heavy and loud, and his throat felt sore and dry. Perhaps today wasn't the best day to go for a run, not that he had meant to in the first place. His head followed the backs of many civilians, but none of them looked even remotely familiar. Had he been seeing things?

Feeling defeated and depressed, Kent made his way back to the subway station, in need of a new ticket and a new ride to work. At this rate, he would definitely be late.

Matthew took a sip of his Starbucks coffee, secretly sneaking a peek at his friend, Guy, who was working in the room across from him.

"Ah, the wonders of large glass windows," Matthew said to himself as Guy bent down to pick up the phone that he had just dropped. "What a lovely view."

"Matthew, what are you talking about?" The company's loyal coffee-server, Erk, asked in annoyance.

"Nothing, nothing at all," Matthew replied as he took another sip of his caramel Frappa-whatsit. The ringing of phones sounded from outside his office as Matthew lounged back lackadaisically in his office chair, waiting for his boss, Eliwood, to give him the plan for the day. Supposedly Eliwood, the vice president of the company, and Hector, the boss, were in Hector's office joking around with one of Eliwood's family friends. It was rumored that his name was Marcus, and he was quite older than most of the people in the company, but only one person had actually seen him, so the fact was basically meaningless.

"Mmm, Starbucks is so much better than Maxwell House," Matthew said as he closed his eyes.

"Why, what's wrong with Maxwell House?" Asked Erk, looking confused as he held up a cup of coffee in his hand.

"Oh, um, never mind. It's a long story," Matthew answered, shuddering at the memory.

Erk groaned as he saw the face of the person he had been trying to avoid all morning, Serra, appear in the doorway. Serra was Matthew's annoying assistant who had become strangely attached to the purple-haired coffee man.

"Errrrk guess what I heard? Kent's got a new secretary! They just came in now! And supposedly, he's felt up Fiora, Farina, Florina, Rebecca," And the list went on and on and on, according to Serra.

"Serra, please, not now. Interesting as that information was, I'm really not in the mood," Erk said, raising a finger to his temple.

"Well, unlike some people, I'm a bit curious to meet this new co-worker of mine. And you should be too, Erk, especially since you'll be serving them coffee every morning from now on," Matthew reminded him as he exited his office with Serra beside him.

Erk rested his head on Matthew's desk. "Why me?"

The elevator doors opened to reveal a pair of baggy gray overalls, belonging to none other than the company's redheaded janitor, Raven. Raven and Kent had never really gotten along, so when Kent was forced to ride up a couple floors with him, he was less than pleased.

Kent stepped into the elevator, making sure to stand as far away as possible from Raven and his lethal mop. There were just some things that Kent didn't feel like having shoved in his face in the early hours of the morning, and a wet, dirty mop was one of them.

"So, late for work, are we?" Raven taunted him, glaring at him. Well, if you wanted to consider it glaring. His expression never really changed from a glare, so you couldn't ever tell if he was happy, sad, depressed, cheerful, or really just angry like his expression depicted.

"Just a bit."

"I don't know what you learned when you went to school, but a bit never meant an hour and a half where I was taught."

Kent was very close to asking him if he actually went to school and graduated college but decided against it, for he wasn't energetic enough for a fistfight in the elevator. It wasn't that he couldn't handle it if the opportunity ever came up, though; Kent didn't make his nightly visits to the gym for no reason.

After what seemed like years, the elevator finally got off on Kent's floor, and Kent stepped off as quickly as he could. He could have sworn Raven pushed the "door close" button a bit too early, and it was more than likely that he did it on purpose.

Kent's nose was greeted with the aroma of fresh coffee, courtesy of Erk, who Kent found easy to relate to on stressful mornings such as this one. Kent said "hello" as cheerfully as he could to each of his co-workers as he passed them by; he was a reasonably friendly and polite person, heck, he even said "hi" to Rath, the UPS man who made frequent visits to their office, and to the copy-room, for some unknown reason.

"Oh, Kent, there you are, I was getting worried." Fiora, one of Kent's close assistants said as she approached him. "Someone is here to see you about-"

"Sorry to cut you off, Fiora, but is it, by any chance, Lyn?" He asked, his eyes watering as he mentioned her name.

Fiora looked sad, and she tore her eyes away from Kent. "No, I'm sorry Kent. I don't want to say this, but you really shouldn't be so hopeful. She packed her things up yesterday; Kent, she's gone."

Kent smiled half-heartedly. "I understand. I'll go introduce myself to whoever it is right this instant." Kent turned the knob on the door to his office, and peeked inside.

A voice was heard from across the room and behind his tall desk chair that was currently turned around. "So you finally decided to show up, Kent."

That voice, it was so familiar to him. Who was sitting in his desk chair? Was it—

The chair slowly turned around to reveal the sly smirk of the man Kent had met earlier. Kent noticed the bouquet of flowers was now placed in a vase on his desk. "Hello, Kent. I'll be your new secretary and assistant starting today."

Kent's eyes widened in surprise as Sain held up the briefcase he had left behind. "I believe you forgot your briefcase, Kent."

"You--!"

­End of Chapter One

Yes, Sain _is _his secretary. Heheheheh. And we all know he'll be much _much_ more in the chapters to come. Bwhahahahaha…ha. Okay, many more of the characters will be introduced in the next chapter, and the mystery of "the company" will start to unravel. Better go work on the next chapter of "Can't Complain." Hope you liked this so far! I'd love to hear from you guys, hint hint.


	2. In which Wil signs for a UPS package

---This chapter is dedicated to **Melfice** for all of her wonderful contributions to this section. I'm loving all of the shounen-ai! XD---

**Notes: **I'm glad this story got a positive response. I'll admit, I was quite worried that the Fire Emblem section of FF.net would be less than supportive, but you guys have proved me wrong. I love how everyone here is so eager to read everyone else's work and critique it positively and respond with nice comments. Everyone here is so nice…

I know this idea is kind of wild, but I promise that it will make sense later on. I've already planned out how it will tie in with the game, and the result will be quite humorous…that is, if I can write it well enough.

**Warnings: **Do I even have to repeat myself? You guys know what it's all about, especially if you've already read the first chapter or anything else I've written. Very brief **KentxSain** action in this chapter and implied **RathxWil** and **MatthewxGuy**.

**Disclaimer: **Fire Emblem is not mine, sadly. If it _were _mine, Kent and Sain would be more than just "companions." Alas, I do not own it. I'm still in school for God's sake. Oh right, and Iron Chef belongs to some other dudes, not me. Plus, I don't own Blink-182 or their song, "Always." (I use some of its lyrics later on, in case you were wondering.)

So, without further ado, I give you:

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Simply A Corporate Affair – Chapter Two

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A steaming cup of coffee was placed in front of a very worn-out Kent. The hot beverage warmed his hand as he picked up the Styrofoam cup and raised it to his lips, his eyes inspecting the swirling shades of creamy brown. Kent took a small sip of the drink, testing the temperature and flavor.

Coffee; something had tasted like coffee to Kent earlier today. On the subway, when he and Sain had kissed…Sain had slightly tasted of coffee. Yes, like coffee, with a hint of hazelnut and something sweet. Savoring the taste of the coffee that reminded him of his new secretary, Kent quickly downed half of his cup of the hot liquid.

After a moment, Kent realized what he was doing. Did he only like the coffee because it tasted like Sain had earlier? Suddenly disgusted with himself, Kent spit out the remaining coffee that had been in his mouth, dotting his paperwork with light brown specks.

"Is it not to your liking?"

Kent lowered his cup and looked up at a very pissed off Erk. Well, he always looked irritated, but when people didn't like his coffee, it really seemed to unsettle him. Purple eyes narrowed and Erk's hand snatched away the Styrofoam cup from Kent's loose grip.

As he turned to leave the office, Erk suddenly stopped and faced Kent. "That's odd; just a minute ago, you seemed to be enjoying it quite a lot." After shooting Kent an annoyed look, Erk faced the door and exited Kent's office, coffee still in hand.

Kent grimaced; yes, he _had _been enjoying it. He had savored the taste of Sain's lips and-

"Gah! Not _again_!" Kent rested his head in his hands as he tried to block out his thoughts of a certain lecherous secretary.

Why was it that Kent was being affected so much by one stupid kiss? Really, it wasn't even a _kiss_; it had turned out to be something more along the lines of a sloppy…spit exchange, although if he thought about it, the two were _very _similar.

Kent mentally reprimanded himself to stop thinking about anything spit, kiss, _or_ Sain related. He also decided that looking through the window of his door (just to look at Sain in his smaller office right outside) was not helping the situation at all.

Sighing, Kent made his way back to his desk as he raked a shaky hand through his hair. What was he going to do with Sain? Could Kent actually expect him to do his job? Could he trust him with his clients' calls and paperwork? Whether he would be good with handling Kent's paperwork was questionable, especially since his suitcase that had busted open against the wall earlier that day had been _far_ from organized.

The soft leather of Kent's desk chair was very inviting to Kent at that time so he decided to sit down in it, prop his legs up on his desk, and sleep. Now this was highly abnormal for Kent, the company's usual high-achiever, but today was just one of those days; sometimes Kent couldn't deal with stress, much like what today had brought. Hoping that he went unnoticed, Kent finally dozed off, not worrying anymore about work, coffee stains, _or _Sain. Well…he tried not to as best as he could…

---

Soft humming could be heard inside the copy room as Wil, a youthful guy with somewhat spiky brown hair, danced about. Erk's coffee had really revved him up, and for Wil, that was a bad thing. A coffee-drugged Wil was almost two times as hyper as a normal Wil.

"So why's your name only spelled with one 'l,' anyways?" Serra asked the currently bouncy Wil as she slammed the top of the copier down over that week's agenda.

Wil stopped humming but didn't cease to dance for one second as he responded. "Honestly Serra, I don't really know." He shrugged as he spun around in circles. "Maybe Mom was a bad speller."

Serra giggled as she sat herself on top of the copier, accidentally hitting the "copy number" button and tracing her leg over "9" twice. Being somewhat oblivious to what was going on, Serra twirled a cotton candy colored pigtail around her index finger, eyes fixated on Wil's dancing form.

"You know, if you take that tray out that catches the papers, they fly all over the room since the AC vent is right by where they come out." Wil laughed as he spun over to the copier. "Wanna see?"

Serra's slender legs swung back and forth over the copier's buttons, pressing five different numbers all at once. "Of course!" she said, the fluorescent lights shimmering in her colorful eyes.

Wil held down a switch under the tray and removed it with ease. The remaining copies began to flood the room; they slid out of the copier, fell slightly, and were propelled into the air by the gust of cool air coming from the vent on the floor.

Serra and Wil both tried to catch the papers, laughing like small children all the while. Unfortunately for them, the door to the room opened in a matter of minutes and in walked Raven, the building's notoriously moody head janitor.

"What the hell is going on here?!" Raven shouted as he swatted away an onslaught of flying papers.

Serra and Wil flinched simultaneously as they shared looks of distress.

"Er…" Wil tried to stop the machine from copying; after faking pressing buttons, he managed to muster up enough courage to look back up at the very angry janitor. "Must be…broken. Ahahaha!"

Raven hardly bought Wil's excuse, his nervous laughter easily giving himself away. "Shut up and make it stop, idiot."

Serra hopped off of the copier and pushed Raven aside as she left the room, escaping the situation without a worry and purposely leaving Wil behind to deal with the mess.

Will sighed as he pushed buttons on the machine, programming it to stop. Serra had never been the most loyal friend to Wil; however, Serra was like that with everyone, well, everyone _but _Erk.

"You got it to stop?" Raven asked. Disheveled brown bangs fell over his face as Wil silently responded with a curt nod. "Good, now attach the tray and leave me to clean up your _mess_." The final sheet of paper flew at Raven's face and he dodged it with ease, catching it in his left hand instead of ending up with a paper cut by his left eye. Reading over the title, Raven mumbled something that sounded like "Agenda…" and proceeded to rip the piece of paper in two.

Wil soon did as he was told and quickly left the room, not having enough courage to deal with Raven's rude sneering any longer. Plus, that paper ripping display that the crimson-haired man had put on struck Wil as semi-threatening. If he hadn't left the room when he did, the janitor probably would have given him some sort of bodily injury.

Wil lazily flopped himself against the nearest wall and let out an exasperated groan; his day had been going _so_ well, too. All of a sudden, the elevator doors opened to reveal a man clad in a brown uniform who stepped out into the room. Both of the men immediately locked eyes; it seemed that there had been a change of fate for Wil.

The shy, long green-haired man walked forward a few steps. He looked quite foreign and owned two of the most exotic eyes Wil had ever seen; of course, this most certainly wasn't the _first_ time he had admired them.

"…UPS delivery." The deliveryman proclaimed, still looking at Wil with a serene gaze.

Wil eagerly accepted the package from him and offered the man a warm, very Wil-like smile. Looking behind him, Wil frowned as he realized the copy room was currently occupied. Noticing the storage closet on the other side of the room, Wil smiled once more and gestured towards it. "Rath, I'll sign for it…in _there_."

Rath, the UPS man, tried his best not to grin; their weekly ritual had started to have a strange effect on him.

"Fine." He stated, noticing Wil's small wink and the hint of pink fluttering across his cheeks. Wil walked towards the door and held it open for the other, waiting for him to decide whether or not he wanted to enter.

Following the cheerful copy room-manning guy, Rath tightened his doo rag and closed the door behind him and Wil, surrounding them in a much-welcomed privacy.

---

_"Kent…"_

_Sain closed the door behind him and stepped into Kent's office, holding a cup of coffee tightly in his right hand._

_"Sain! What are you doing in here? I'm busy right now…" Kent explained, gesturing nervously to his paperwork and to the pen in his hand._

_Sain slowly approached Kent's desk and drank a portion of the coffee, then placing it gently on the ground. His playful eyes glimmered mischievously underneath his bangs and he swept his arm across half of Kent's desk, scattering paperwork all over the room; Kent's eyes widened as Sain got very comfortable on top of his now half-bare desk. _

_"Are you too busy for…this?" Sain asked as he plucked the pen out of Kent's grasp and threw it over his shoulder, then sliding into Kent's lap. Kent's body began to grow warm as Sain wrapped his legs around his waist. _

_"I'm completely…free," Kent gasped, his breathing becoming heavy. He lunged forward in his chair, pressing Sain against his desk as he kissed him fiercely, the taste of hazelnut coffee overcoming all of his senses. Kent's tongue traced along Sain's bottom lip, hungrily begging for entrance. Sain complied willingly, opening his mouth for Kent to explore._

_Kent was unable to think straight (ha); he was finally doing what he had been longing to do the whole morning, he was making out with his secretary. After a minute of passionate kissing, the pair pulled apart, panting softly as Sain clung to Kent's muscular form, their foreheads pressing softly together. Sain's hand gripped Kent's shoulder as he looked up at his boss with an intense gaze._

_" Sain…you taste like…like hazelnut and…coffee…" Kent said as he brushed Sain's bangs out of his eyes, placing a gentle kiss on his parted lips._

"Really? That's interesting…I thought only the women found that out," Sain exclaimed, pondering over what Kent had just admitted.

Kent immediately snapped to his senses and out of his brief and somewhat naughty daydream. Raising a hand to his temple, the bright haired businessman found himself developing a very nasty headache.

"Well? What's up with you, Kent? Sleeping on the job, huh?" Sain navigated towards Kent's desk.

"Nothing's up with me…I'm fine," Kent reassured him with a weak smile, trying to get Sain to leave his office as soon as possible. The last thing Kent wanted Sain to realize was how unusually happy he was to see him; the blatant evidence of Kent's feelings was currently poking through Kent's disguise.

Sain arched an eyebrow curiously. "Are you hiding something from me?" he asked, guiding his hand over the edge of the desk as he came around the corner to Kent's side.

Kent's eyes widened; Sain was coming a little too close for his own comfort. Kent slammed his chair as far into the desk as he could, trying his best to not to let Sain see what he was so ashamed of.

Sain looked shocked as he came closer to Kent. "Cool it, dude. It's just me! You know, Sain. Your secretary." Sain placed a hand on Kent's shoulder, trying to get him to calm down. Of course, Sain didn't know why Kent was really nervous. "Having a nightmare or something?"

Kent flinched at the sudden contact, frowning as he replied. "I guess you could say that."

---

"Matthew, if we make any more 'trips' to the bathroom, I think Eliwood or Hector will get suspicious." Guy whined as they both left a stall together and tried to flatten out the wrinkles in their clothes.

Matthew smirked. "Aww, but Guy, I thought you liked our 'lunch breaks.' You're always so _hungry_!"

Guy blushed, his face providing ample competition for the red apple he had been munching on earlier. "I am not! It's just…oh, forget it, you're hopeless." A small sigh escaped his lips as he began to re-braid his hair.

The bathroom was quite spacious, Matthew noted. Yes, it was a good place to bring Guy and be undiscovered, or so he thought. The ugly green tiled walls stretched up a fair amount, and there were at least seven stalls that lined them. What both Matthew and Guy had failed to notice was the person in the stall behind them.

A flush sounded, and Matthew and Guy both came to sudden realizations.

"Er…Matthew? I think there's someone else in here," Guy whispered.

Matthew cursed under his breath, a look of horror on his face; had that person been in there while he and Guy had been-

Matthew didn't have enough time to finish his thoughts as the door violently swung open and out walked Bartre, a big man who worked as a janitor alongside his friend, Dorcas, and the grim, scarlet-haired man named Raven. He was dressed in the typical janitor garb, which consisted of gray overalls and a plain white t-shirt. For some reason, his pockets were unusually large and baggy.

"Oh, what a surprise! I knew Matthew was in here, but Guy, too?" Bartre laughed heartily as he stared at the very surprised and somewhat ashamed couple.

"Uh…how'd you know I was here?" Matthew asked, curious as to why he couldn't recognize Guy's voice. It was one thing if he had heard the chorus of moaning, but it was something else entirely if he had thought it was someone else.

Bartre chuckled again. "It was kind of hard not to know! That _girl _of yours was crying out your name louder than anything in the entire office; the whole _city_ could hear her!"

Guy's eyebrow twitched. "H-her? _Her?!_ How could you mistake m-" Matthew clapped a hand over the infuriated man's mouth, restraining him around the waist with his other arm.

"Really, Guy, that's enough." Matthew said, staring him in the eye.

Guy, stubborn as he was, wouldn't give up and struggled under Matthew's hold. "Mhmmmftttt!" Matthew released his hand for a second. "You _bastard_!" After that sudden exclamation, he slammed his hand back over his friend's mouth.

Bartre looked hopelessly confused. "Anyways, I heard you were hungry, Guy, or so Matthew said. If you're always hungry, why don't you carry around a sandwich in your pocket like I do? If you get hungry, you can just pull it out and take a bite out of it instead of…biting your neck like that." Bartre was eyeing Guy's hickeys curiously.

"Um, _yeah_. Thanks for the…advice, Bartre." Guy responded, his face heating up when Matthew smiled at him for going along with it.

"Hey, no problem, Guy!" Bartre answered, slapping him on the back with a firm hand before leaving the room without even washing his hands.

Guy scowled and wiped off the back of his shirt with a paper towel. "You'd think a janitor would wash his hands every once and a while…"

Matthew smiled and drew Guy to his side, draping an arm over his shoulders. "You're cute when you're aggravated, Guy." He laughed as he traced his fingers over the bruised skin on Guy's neck. "You should turn your collars up…either that or stop _biting_ yourself."

"Not funny, Matthew. If it weren't for your amorous biting urges, we would be in this situation."

"Yes, but who was the one who wanted to come here in the first place?" Matthew reminded him.

"Damn you." Guy said, directing his curse at his sly friend. He disentangled himself from Matthew and made his way for the door. "I need more coffee, it's way too early for this."

Matthew grinned as he watched Guy turn up his collar and leave the somewhat smelly bathroom. He had done a pretty good job on Guy's neck, Matthew thought. After all, what was wrong with leaving a mark on your most treasured possession?

---

"Kent, where are you going?" Hector's booming voice sounded from behind Kent as he hurried to the elevator, briefcase in hand.

Hector, Kent's boss, forcefully turned Kent around and looked him in the eye. "I'm going home early today, Hector. It's just…been too much for me to handle."

Sighing, Hector released his hold on the stressed businessman. "Fine, but only for today. If you so much as think about skipping tomorrow, I'll get Raven to come to your house and personally escort you to the office."

"You wish," Raven said as he walked by the two, flipping Hector the finger while his back was turned. The two rarely ever got along since Raven seemed to hold some sort of grudge against the blue-haired president of the company.

Kent cringed at the thought of having Raven anywhere near his apartment. "I promise I'll be in tomorrow, Hector. I've got a lot of work to do concerning our new client."

Hector smiled and pushed Kent into the now open elevator. "Now that's more like it!" The doors slid closed and that was the last Kent saw of his boss for the day.

Sagging against the wall of the modern elevator, Kent tried his best to sort out the thoughts that were bubbling through his brain. Why was he reacting to Sain in such a weird way? Could he possibly be developing some sort of sexual feelings for his new secretary? It was all so confusing, and the only way Kent knew how to get everything in his mind back to normal was by talking to someone. Was there anyone better to talk to than a local reverend? Kent knew that confession would be the healthiest and most helpful thing for him at the time. When he reached the ground floor, he raced out of the main lobby and onto the streets, making a left and jogging down the sidewalk leading to the local Catholic church. It was time for some serious soul-searching.

---

"Good afternoon, my child." The reverend's voice sounded from the other side of the confession booth. "How may I help you today?"

Kent didn't know where to start; there were so many things about his life that he needed to talk about. Lyn, work, coffee stains, and…Sain. He decided to start with what mattered most, his ex.

"My fiancée recently left me, and I don't know what to do. I'm getting over her slowly, but someone else has just entered the picture and I'm afraid that…well…I'm not sure what I'm fearing, but it has something to do with this new person."

"Are you afraid that if you get involved with this…person, you'll forget about your fiancée forever?" The reverend suggested in an optimistic tone of voice.

"I guess, except, this new person…he's; well, I'm having trouble dealing with my own feelings," Kent admitted to the eager listener.

The reverend seemed pleased that Kent had told him so much. "Is it because he's a guy, or something else?"

Kent's narrowed his eyes as he pondered over the question. "I think it's because of that, but…he's so…different from anyone I've ever befriended. And when we met, we-"

The reverend stopped Kent from running off onto a silly tangent and just ending up more confused. "Forgive me, child, but to me, it sounds like you really care for this person. If you just give it time, you will start to understand your relationship more clearly. And I promise, the memories of your old lover will fade away and that will leave you much happier than you currently are. Just trust me on this - everything _will_ get better. It truly will."

Kent managed to smile slightly, and stared through the tiny holes in the wooden window in the wall that separated them. He could make out two shiny, sky blue eyes smiling back at him, a pale, milky complexion, and long, silky blond hair. To him, this "reverend" looked more like a female than the typical male reverend.

"Um, I'm Kent. I know we're not supposed to tell you our names, but I feel comfortable around you. You've helped me out a lot, Father…"

"Lucius," the reverend responded. "Father Lucius. I'm glad to find that I've helped you, Kent. Now go and be filled with Elimine's glory. Elimine will guide you, I promise."

"Thank you, Father Lucius." Kent said, nodding his head slightly before leaving the confined space. He took one final look at the beautiful antique pews and colorful stained glass windows before leaving the church, feeling somewhat more confident and normal than he had been before.

---

Kent settled down on his leather couch, opening a can of beer as he watched two chefs cook to find out whether or not their "cuisine reigned supreme." Iron Chef was just one of those silly shows that was so ridiculous that it was funny to Kent. Plus, Guy and Kent had gathered in their living room every week to watch it at the same time; it was just another one of those weird rituals that he had developed with his friend.

Matthew slowly emerged from the hallway, his haired soaked and shirt slightly dripping with water. "Ooh, Iron Chef! Who's dueling this time?" He asked sarcastically, since he had barely ever seen the show and found it humorous that Guy and Kent were so wrapped up in its competitions.

"Shut up, Matthew. Why are you so wet, anyway?" Curiosity got the best of him; Kent had to ask. It would make Kent happy to see Matthew ashamed, too.

Guy stepped out of the bathroom wearing his pajamas just like Kent, his green hair covered with a towel. "Matthew did a little peeking."

Kent laughed; maybe he _didn't_ want to know. "Stupid peeping Tom…you're more kinky than I thought!"

Matthew grinned. "Well, I _do _have some strange fetishes, I'll admit that. But at least I don't watch Iron Chef every week!"

Ignoring Matthew's last remark, Guy sat down next to Kent on the couch and was soon followed by his voyeur.

The minutes the three spent together, watching Iron Chef and joking around, made Kent feel a heck of a lot better than he had before. It seemed to him that his friends could get him through even the most confusing social problems. Around eleven, Matthew dragged Guy off to get some "sleep," and Kent decided that he should try and rest as well.

Turning the TV off with the little red button on his controller, Kent finally said goodbye to the show commonly known for its horrendous dubbing. He would have to wait until next week to see the show's host bite into that yellow pepper again.

Stripping himself of his pajama top, Kent laid himself down in his bed pulled the cotton sheets over his body. He soon realized that he had forgotten to make a trip to the local gym, but no matter. He was still in a good mood, and that was all that mattered to him.

Pressing down the radio button on his alarm clock, Kent closed his eyes and settled his head into his fluffy pillow as a chorus of words filled his ears.

"I'll take you back if you'd have me…

So here I am, I'm trying…

So here I am, are you ready?

Come on let me hold you, touch you, feel you, always…

Kiss you, taste you, all night, always…"

Fancy guitar riffs and drum beats pounded through his brain as he processed what the lead singer was actually saying. Every word seemed to remind him of what he had been troubled with earlier that day: Sain.

A loud moan filled Kent's ears, and it seemed to be coming from the room next to his. Kent knew he should have never let Guy invite Matthew over, although Matthew probably invited himself over, knowing him.

Kent covered his ears with his pillow, trying to block out the unceremonious noises sounding from the other side of the wall. Even with his head under the pillow, Kent could still hear the lyrics of the song playing on whatever random channel he had set his radio to.

"Kiss you, taste you, all night, always-"

Kent slammed his hand down on the "off" button, commanding the singer to shut the hell up and to let him get some sleep and rid his mind of images of Sain.

"Sain…" Kent murmured, seeing his secretary's smile in his mind. And at that exact moment, Kent came to a final realization: he was obsessed.

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End of Chapter Two

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Poor Kent, he's so confused. --evil grin-- Wonder whose fault _that_ is…

Sain: --whistles innocently-- Hiiii, Kent!

Kent: --twitch--

I'm so happy that Kent finally realized it! I've been longing to write KentxSain slash this whole week! --sigh-- I had to resort to using "--" instead of asterisks since the damn QuickEdit thing seems to delete them.

"…evidence of Kent's feelings was currently poking through Kent's disguise."

-Yay for innuendo! XP

Bex: --whacks me in the head with nearest inanimate object--

Me: Owww…you'd think my friends would be used to it by now…sheesh.

Er, right. I hope you…enjoyed this somewhat eventful chapter of SaCA (yay for abbreviations!) and will come back in a week or so to read the next one. Yeah I know my updating is a little slow, but I'm quite a busy person. I've really got no other excuse to offer you guys, but since my school gets out in a week, I'll have a _little _more free time on my hands to use for writing and other creative devices.

Worship the KentxSain.

Worship, I say.

Look down, there's a pretty little button. Look, isn't it nice? Don't you want to click it? You know you do. XP My bones ache for criticism; I know I'm doing something wrong, but I can't put a finger on it. ;;;


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